Water-purifying apparatus.



RATRNTRD TRB. 12, 1907.

."N). 844,167. y JjMGL. MURPHY.

WATER PURIPYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILRD 00T. s. 1906.

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flbkowm 5 @www oep PATPNTPPAPEB. 12, 1907.

JKMGL. MURPHY; y WATPR'PURIPYING APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 00T. s. P906.

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@nme/SMA UNITED STA ES ra'rnirr orsi-en JOHN McLEOD MURPHY, OF DANBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MIESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN FILTRATION COMPANY, OF PHILLIPSBURG, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY WATER=PURIFYING PFAHATUS.

Specicationof Letters Patent.-

Patented Feb. 1,2, 1907.

' Application ilcd'October 6. 1906. Serial No. 337,819.

T all whom, t imag/concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN MoLEoD MUR- PHY, residing at Danbury, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved I/Vater Filtering and Purifying Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to apparatus for purifying Water by electrical or electrolytic action, which serves to eliminate therefrom" animal matter, bacteria, and other organic impurities of all kinds in order to render the water pure and wholesome for drinking and other purposes; and my said invention seeks to provide certain improvements, especially in that type of electrolytic processes in which aluminium electrodes are employed.

Numerous attempts have been made to purify water by electrolytic processes utilizing electrodes of iron, zinc, and aluminium as the anodes of the electric circuit; but, so far as I know, the results heretofore obtained by the said processes have not been all `that is desired, for the reason when the anodes are of iron or Zinc, oxids or oxyhydrates are formed thereby, the salts of which go into the solution of the water treated and act on the water in a manner to render the same deleterious and noxious to health.

While the aforesaid conditions are almost entirely overcome when the anodes are of aluminium, the results are still far froin'being satisfactory, especially when large bodies of water are to be filtered and purified, for the reason that an'eli'ective prevention of corrosion of the aluminium plates is not provided for, and thereby the use of said aluminiuin plates is expensive,unsatisfactory, and not to be relied upon to produce a proper purihcation and filtration of the water acted on.

My invention primarily seeks to provide a filtering and purifying apparatus of the character stated of an economical and effectively operating construction, in which special provision is made for preventing theicorrosion of the aluminium electrodes and materially increasing the life thereof and by which the said plate corrosion can be prevented with- .out'confhcting or countoracting the purify- I the desired healthful carbonio-acid formations produced by the intermixing of the oxygen gas evolved at the positive pole through the decomposition of the water by the elcctrolytical process with the carbona ceous organic matter in the water.

Again, my invention involves a new and novel correlation of parts, particularly that l of the electrodes, with the positive and negative poles of the electrical circuit, whereby a much simplified arrangement of parts is produced which can be quickly assembled at a muchless cost than is possible in the other systems of the kind stated and in which the cost of manufacture is also considerably lessened and the action of purification made positive and without danger of impairing the purity of the Water being treated.

In its more subordinate features my invention consists of certain novel arrangement and peculiar construction of parts, all of which will hereinafter be vfully explained, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l'is a perspective view of my filtering and purifying apparatus, one of the lids being removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a planview thereof, the lids being removed. E ig. 4 is a cross-secrection of the arrow. Fig, 5 is a similar view en the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. Gis a detail view of several of the electrode-plates detached. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view, hereinafter referred to.

In the practical application of my invenf tion the filtering reservoir or tank may be i made of various shapes and sizes to suit the conditions requiredand the special correlation of the positive and negative poles of the l circuit and the plates connected therewith without departing from my invention or the scope of the claims. For ordinarfyr purposes i I prefer to construct my apparatus generally `lin .the manner shown in the drawings, in i which- I A designates a tank or box, preferably of wooden planks two and one-half inches thick i and of cypress oroak. A i B designates the feed-pipe, which enters tion on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2 looking in the dig IOO which are supported in a peculiar manner `within the tank, whereby to permit of the easy and quick withdrawal or insertion of one or more of the plates without disturbing the remainder, as will hereinafter be more 'fully described. l

Between the spaces S and S the bottom oi' thebox A has a series ot longitudinal grooves 10 l0, in practice about one-fourth ol an inch apart, and in these grooves lit the anode# plates C and the cathode-platesiC, and the said'plates are detachably supported within the grooves 10 1l):L and `are respecth-*ely held in contact with the positive and negative poles P and N, joined with the electrical ciicuit E,`as clearly shown in Figs. l and 4, by reference to which it will be noticed the said poles P and N are in the nature 'ol" metal rods that pass entirely through one side of the tank A and enter. sockets in the other Iside thereof, and the said rods P andN are disposed in different horizontal planes, the purpose of which will presently appear.

The plates C and C have a rectangular shape, and each plate has a projecting hook or claw-piece c c, the hook member c of the. positive plate C being disposed at the upper edge of the said plate C, and the member c is disposed at a vpoint about centrally of the end of the membenC, such relative arrangement of the members c c being provided to permit of a convenient and effective connection ol the several plates and their respective polerods P and N and for the ready removal of' anyone or more ofl the .plates when desired.

Asis clearly shown, thc bolts or rods P and N are disposed at the receiving end 'of the tank, so that the pressure of' the water will have a tendency to compel the plates to draw or bear down upon the rods l and N, and, itl desired, the members e c may be equipped with set-screws c" c" l'or firmly clamping them onto their respective pole -pieces N and 1. v l

'l`he grooves in the bottoni ol'y the tank are made deep enough to allow the plates (l C to riseand fall into position, the weight of' the plates being sullicient to hold them lin a proper operative position.

'lhe electrodes C and (.l arc f`oi nied ol` a metallic body consisting ol' aluminium and magnesium, in about the pro|-iortion ol' ninety* five pcicentum aluminium and five per centum magnesiinn.

So far as described it will be readily understood the water as it passes into the tank A and is allowed to escape at the other end will be caused to pass over and between the plates C and C and be brought into the greatest possible amount of electrode-surface, and

thereby receive a thorough treatment by the electric current passing through the electrode and through the water, and the latter is thereby thoroughly saturated With oxygen gas to the limit ot its solvent power and is rendered palatable and healthful.

The aluminium electrodes render the impurities insoluble, 'which then coagulate with the oxyliydrate of aluminum, rise to the surface by reason of their buoyancy and the pressure of the gases s et free during the electrolytic treatment, and can then be readily run off or skimmed.

From practical experience in purifyinor appara tus utilizing aluminium electrodes I ave l'ou'nd that the decomposition of the vegetable matter in the fluid soo'ncorrodes the electrodes and renders them unfit for producing `a perfect and rapid purification of the Water.

These objectionable features I find can be overcome by having a certain percentage of magnesium in the electrode-plates, which magnesium and the electrolytic plates will become oxidized to form magnesium oXid, wliich acts as an anti-acid and serves to neutralize any acidity of solution to an extent sufficient to prevent corrosion of the'ahiminium of the electrodes. To' further increase the purification of the water, I provide a bafile or disk plate 15 at a point inside the discharge end of the feed-pipe, (see Figs. 3

and 5,) which serves to prevent the water" enteringpthe bonn under a direct head and passing through the middle ones of tli'e plates .C and C only'and to cause the water-column to spread in every direction and deflect it in such manner as to cause thewater to pass over a. maximum electrode-surface as it runs from the inletto the outlet. end of the box.

5, and 7 represent cover members that lit water-tight onto the top of the box when closed down, and theinember 5 has grooves 5 in its under side to fit over the upper edges of the plat-es C and C', and in practice it is usualrto hold the. said cover members in place by a suitable clamping device, (indicated by 2O on Figs. l and 2.)

From the ioregrroing, taken in connection witli'the accompanying drawings, it is believed the complete operation and the advantages of my invention will bc readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which it appertains.

n Fig. 7 l have illustrated my inventionl as used in connection with supplemental ilters I7 and I8. The one 17 may be an ordinary stone filter, while. the one 1S may be a charcoal filter of the ordinary type. 'These filters l? and 18 are connected to each other and to 'the electrical pu'rier A .by suitable rubber mpc-sections 1.7 18X, while a rubber pipe-section I6N is used to connect the purifier A to the water-main 16, the outlet-pipe beingconnected, as at l (l, to the filterlS. The dynamo E has its terminals connected with IIO tlie corres onding terminals of the electrolytic puri er, as indicated. f/ Having thus described my invention, what llclaim, l.and desire to secure by Letters Pat- 5 nt, isv 1. A11 apparatus of the character described, comprising an electrolyzing-chamber having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, a series'o positive and negative electrodes detachably supported lengthwise in the said chamber, an electric circuit in connection therewith, land a delector over the inlet end adapted to distribute the infiow over the ends of all the lates, as set forth.

2. An apparatus as escribed comprising in combination with a box having ah inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end, and a I negative and positive pole-piece )rojected j transversely over the entrant end oi the box; 2o said piecesI being Ain different horizontal planes, the bottom ofthe box`having longitu dinal grooves, of the plates C and C adapted to seat in the said grooves, saidf plates each having a projecting hook member at the receiving end, the hooks on the ,two sets of z5 lid-grooves, the box having an inlet at one'A end and an outlet at the other end, the polepieces extended across the entrant end of the box, said pieces being in different horizontal planes, of the plates C C adapted to detachably seat in the upper and lower grooves ofthe box, said plates each having a projecting lug at the receiving end, the lugs'on the two sets of plates being disposed in different horizon- -tal'plane's tol interlock with the respective pole-pieces, and means for electrically energizing the pole-pieces, as set forth.

JOHN MCLEOD MURPHY. Witnesses:

MAX C. GADErs, W. B. SHAFEER. 

